I will in time, have a more detailed written commentary on the two books I am reading/listening to. The first one is a biography of Gorbachev. The great Russian statesman who took the USSR through its inevitable disintegration. He proved to be a man not of the cloth of his land, but someone who could understand the difference between leadership and power.

The second book – and this is an audiobook is Obama’s Promised Land. Now as soon as I type the word Obama I am going to get it in the neck. I can tell from past experience. And that is what I want to reflect on today.

I am old enough to remember the civil rights movement of the 1960s and the demonstrations, the clashes; old enough to remember seeing dogs tearing at black men and women because they dared to cross a bridge. (Yes, I know it’s not that simple).

All that briefly to say, on the night that Barak Obama was sworn in as President I thought two things; firstly and foremost this is a huge moment for the civil rights movement and for The United States of America. Secondly, was my hope he was not assassinated before the year was out!

Not to dwell on the book at this point, that will come, has been the overarching thought I have had about some of the reaction I got from lovely Christian men – no women – who saw my admiration of Obama and made it plain, always in print and on social media, that this man was evil, that he was out to destroy the USA and they would in time, over the eight years of his administration make every effort to oppose any post they saw or any positive comment I made with chants of “worst president ever” and more. I was dumbfounded.

I put it down to their narrow view of the world and frankly saw it as their own racial prejudice.

I had no idea how deeply rooted this hatred was – and yes dear Christian men, it is hatred.

You see, if you say you do not agree with a decision or with a policy or perhaps even take exception with a spoken idea, well then I think we can debate that, we can talk about the pros and cons. But when it takes the shape of a personal attack on the individual, well then I think we have a problem.

You see it today in the news about our own prime minister and some of his staff. You hear the obscenities aimed at someone, who chose to be a public servant. I hear it about those in government in the USA too. I hear the media play up any contest of “he said, she said”…. as long as it sells.

All this is not good for us as a people, as a nation, as a province or a city, or a neighbourhood.

Where does the mistrust end? Where do the personal attacks take us? Is there anything redeeming about it?

I have decided that, should a federal election be called I will not vote for our incumbent MP for all he does is personal attacks on the prime minister. I do not see any substantive program outline, no clear picture of how they would solve some of the issues. And beyond that, here’s my question to us.

Where does the distrust of authority end?

If we do not trust the politicians, and I am not being naive here in believing that all poticians should be trusted, but when our distrust becomes public verbal execution, and when the air is so poisoned that we add, the media, the police, teachers, clergy, lawyers and judges, those who administer cities. When it includes any manner of authority that we encounter such as a store manager or our supervisor at work, well, where does that take us?

Do we trust no one? Do we never look with some sense of appreciation or understanding at those who have been entrusted with some level of decision-making and who are faced with difficult matters? Can we never see that while not perfect, there are systems that benefit us?

Who organizes that our garbage gets picked up, that our water system is maintained, that we can sleep peacefully at night, and that the medical needs we might have one day will be met?

And playing into that is this current epidemic of individualism where people see only themselves, hear only the voice of self, and believe only what they tell themselves? Is any of this helpful to building a civil society?